Concerns have been raised about conditions in Ghanaian prisons which do not allow for inmates to be adequately reformed in order to be properly integrated into society.
Latest to add their voices to this growing concern is an Obuasi based all women support group, Gold City Mummies.
The Ghana Prisons Service recently called for more collaborations to transform prisons by providing formal and vocational education to convicts.
This, the President of the group, Mrs. Rose Ampofo Bekoe believed when inmates are taken through proper reformation procedures and programs including skills acquisition, it would contribute to a drastic decrease in the surging social vices in the country.
Mrs. Ampofo- Bekoe was interacting with prison officials when she led the Gold City Mummies to donate 5 bags of Maize, 4 bags of Gari, 3 bags of local rice, 25L of red oil and about 1kg of Cured Fish (Kako) to support feeding of the inmates.
The President of the Group also admonished Ghanaians, not to stigmatise ex-convicts.
“As a group, concerned about the vulnerable and less privileged in the society, we are calling on Ghanaians to gladly welcome ex-convicts into the society once they are out of prison,” she said.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Obuasi prisons, the 2nd in command at the Prisons, Superintendent Esther Ako-Nunnoo, expressed gratitude to the all-women group and commended their motherly love.
Superintendent Ako-Nunno said though the Prison service offers counselling to the inmates, they are limited since they do not have access to the inmates once they are out of the prisons.
She said the social welfare office takes up the responsibility of tracing and tracking their progress and offering the needed assistance.
Speaking on inmates learning trade or skills while in prison, she stated that, though the local Prisons are equipped with a tailoring shop, inmates nowadays show very little interest in learning.
Gold City Mummies recently made a donation of a 3-month supply of sanitary pads to 100 girls in 3 schools within Obuasi East District.